Railway-ratl joint



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. A.' MILLER.

'RAILWAY-RAIL JOINT. v n No. 309,399. 9 Patented Deo. 16, 1884.

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CHARLES A. MILLER, OF CARTIIAGE, OHIO.

RAILWAY'RAl L. JOENT..

SEIEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.309,399, dated December16, 1884.

Application tiled November 23, 1883'. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it 77mg/ concern:

. Beit known that I, Cuantas A. MILLER, a resident of the town ofCarthage, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rail Joints, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The several features of my invention, and the various advantag'esresulting from their use conjointly or otherwise, will be apparent fromthe following description.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I represents a side elevation ofportions of two rails provided with the respective portions of aninterlocki1ig-joint illustrating my invention, the rails being shownthereby united. Fig. II represents a bottom view oi' the rails shown inFig. I. Fig. III represents a vertical central longitudinal section ofthe same. Figs. IV and V show in perspective the portions of the railsof Fig. I as unlocked and separated. Fig. VI, Sheet 2, represents ahorizontal longitudinal section through the dotted line x x of Fig. I,and Fig. VII, Sheet 2, represents in perspective a preferred mode or'securing to the ties or roadbed the rails united or locked together.

rIlhe rail by my invention may be of any suitable shape. On the end ofone rail, as H, a tongue, A, is formed, and in the adjoining end of theadjacent rail, as E, a notch, recess, or mortise, C, is formed, intowhich the tongue A is received. In this manner the rails are so unitedthat the lateral movement of the end of one rail upon or in relation tothe adjoining end of the adjacent rail is prevented, and a continuousrail is formed, and the wheel of the vehicle is at all times supportedby the rail. Vhere the web c of the rail is thin, as is the case in theordinary T- rail, it is desirable that the said web be thickened at andin the vicinity of the joint, iu order to allow the recess, mortise, ornotch to Y be suflicicntly wide to accommodate a tongue of some width ina direction transverse to the vertical plane ot' the rail, and yetremain suciently strong to support the weight of the vehicle passingover and on the rail. With this joint I preferably combine a suitabledevice for enabling the meeting ends of the rails to be so locked orunited as to securely resist all form'ot' such locking device consistsas fol-v lows, viz: The edges of the side or sides, (indicated by D, )ofthe recess or mortise C are made to taper obliquely downward andforward,

and are provided with Vshaped notch or recess d, and tooth or lug d. Forthe purpose of interlocking with said notch d and tooth d inimediatclyback of tongue A on rail II, and preferably on each side of the tongue,are shoulders h. here thickened to form the said shoulders. Theseshoulders are made to lit the edges of the sides D. Thus where the edgeof one of the sides D slants obliquely, as shown, and is provided with anotch and depression, the opposing shoulder h inclines obliquely dow11-ward and backward, and is pro vided with notch or recess b and tooth b,and both shoulders 7L are thus inclined and provided with notch b andtooth b when the edges of both sides D are inclined and formed asaforementioned. When the rails E and H are united the tooth b ofshoulder 71l enters recess d of the side D, and tooth d of side D entersrecess Ir of shoulder 7L. As the rear edge of tooth Z) and the frontedge of recess d are correspondingly inclined at an angle to thehorizontal, the rails, after the teeth d and b have entered theirrespective opposing recesses, are securelylocked, so that they cannot belongitudinally separated so long as rail II is not lifted` from the tiesor rail-bed, and at the same time the tongue prevents lateraldisplacement of the rails in relation to one another. Vhen desired thetongue A and the inner end of recess or mortise G may be formed so as tointerlock to prevent longitudinal separation of the rails. A preferredmodeof such lock is shown inthe drawings, and consists as follows: Theforward end or edge of the tongue inclines downward and forward, and isprovided with a tooth, a, and notch or recess c. The inner end of recessShould the web e be thin, it is or mortise C is inclined obliquelydownward K and backward, as shown, and is provided with notch m andtooth m. When the rails are united the tooth a of the tongue A tits intorecess m of rail E, and tooth m of rail E fits into recess c of tongueA. The rear edge of IOO tooth c and the rear edge of tooth m arecorrespondingly inclined at an angle-to the horizontal. Thus the railsare securely locked together, and will securely resist separationlongitudinally until rail E is lifted. So long as the notch or mortise Chas a roof and the upper edge of the tongue iits closely under and upagainst said roof, the lifting of rail E will not separate or unlock thejoint.

Thelocking devices of the shoulder or shoulders 7L, and side or sides D,may be used without the looking devices formed on the tongue A and onthe end of recess C; so, also, the locking devices of the tongue A andend of recess C may be employed without the locking devices of the saidshoulder or shoulders and side or sides; but these locking devices arepreferably conjointly employed, and when thus employed the positions ofthe teeth and recesses are preferably such (as shown) as that the railswhen interlocked cannot be separated except by elevating either` one ofthe rails at the end opposite to where the said locked joint is located.Thus when the rails are `horizontal the teeth d and b prevent separationof the rails by longitudinal force, or by lifting the rail E at the endwhere the locked joint is, and the tongue when it vlits features of myinvention.

closely in recess G without locking devices, or when it has a suitablelocking device, as tooth a, fitting a suitable notch, as m in recess G,will prevent the separation of the rails by longitudinal force. Vhen therails are locked together the lock prevents their being pulled apart, aswell as prevents any up or down movement ot either. The tongue and theilangcs prevent any lateral motion of either rail. The one rail, whenthe recess C has a roof and the tongue fits closely up against saidroof, is supported in part on the tongue and in part on the sidesl D,while the other rail rests-on the tongue and sides D and their bottomsor feet F, and thus the parts form a mutual support. In this manner islformed a union which prevents the rails from being separated or movedin any direction. The rails are easily joined and the union is :firm andstrong. rIhe track produced is smooth and durable.

One or more of the meeting edges may be suitably cut back so as toallow, if desired, of provision for expansion and contraction oftherails. All fish-plates may be dispened with. So, also, all chairs may bedispensed with, and ordinary bolts alone be used. f

Fig. VII, Sheet 2, illustrates a preferred mode of securing the rail tothe ties when the rails are united by my improved joint. In practicewhere a continuous rail is to be eniployed each end et' each rail willpreferably be interlocked with the adjacent end of its adjacent rail bymeans of a feature of the Each rail may have at one end the notch orrecess, dre., and at the other end the tongue; or one rail may have ateach end a tongue, and the next rail have at each end a notch-recess.

That I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is- Y 1. A rail-joint the one rail thereof provided with avertical tongue and the other rail provided with vertical notch orrecess having closed sides, the outer edge of the tongue and the innerend of the notch or fecess being formed to interlock, the sides of thetongue being everywhere embraced by the sides of the notch or recess,the tongue being formed on and being integral with the end of the onerail, and the notched portion being formed on and integral with the endof the meeting rail, and not on chairs or pieces intervening between themeeting ends of said rails, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

2. In a rail-joint, the combination of rail H, having tongue A, providedwith tooth a and notch c, and notch or recess C, having at its inner endthe notch m and tooth m, substantially as and yfor the purposesspecified.

3. In a rail-joint, the combination of rail H, having tongue A, providedwith tooth a and notch c', and also having shoulder li, and rail E,having notch or recess C, provided at its inner end with the notch m andtooth m, the outer surface ofthe sides extending laterally beyond thesides of the web, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. In arail-joint, the combination of rail H, having vertical tongue A,and shoulder having notch b and tooth b, and rail E, having verticalnotch or recess C, and sides D, having notch d and tooth (1,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. In a rail-joint, the combination of the rail H, having verticaltongue whose front edge is inclined aud provided with tooth a and notcha', and rail E, having vertical recess C, having inclined inner endlhaving notch m and tooth m, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

6. In a rail-joint, the combination of the rail H, having verticaltongue and shoulder h, the front edge of the shoulder being inclined andprovided with tooth I) and notch b, and rail E, having sides D, side Dhaving vertical notch d and tooth d, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

7. In a rail-j oint, the combination of the rail H, having verticaltongue and shoulders IL, the front edge of the shoulders being inclinedand provided with tooth b and notch b', and rail "E, having sides D,inclined and provided with notch d and tooth d, substantially as and forthe purposes specified.

8. In a rail-joint, the combination of the rail H, having verticaltongue whose front edge is inclined and provided with tooth c and notchc', and having shoulders 7i, the front edge of 011e or both shouldersbeing inclined, and provided with tooth b and notch b', and rail E,having vertical recess C, having its innerend inclined, and providedwith notch m and tooth m, and having sides D, one or both sides beinginclined, and provided with the notch d and IPO IIO

tooth d, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

9. In a rail-joint, rail H, having a vertical tongue, and rail E, havinga vertical notch or recess to receive said tongue, the said tongue andrecess having an interlockingjoint, and the rail E outside of the recessand the rail H outside or" the tongue being also provided with aninterlocking joint, substantially as aud for the purposes specified.

l0. In a rail-joint, the combination of rail H, having a vertical tonguehaving its free edge or end inclined and long at bottoni, and a rail, E,having a recess long at bottom and inclined within to fit theinclination of the tongue, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

ll. In a rail-joi nt, the combination ot' rail H, having a verticaltongue and inclined shoulders inclining upward and forward toward theend oi" the rail, and arail, E, having a vertical notch or recess toreceive said tongue, the sides of the recess being inclined downward andforward toward rail H, and fitting the inclination of said shoulders,substantially as and for the purposes specified. l

l2. In a rail-joint, the combination of the rail H, having a verticaltongue, the tree end of the latter being inclined forward and downward,and long at bottoni, the rail H also having shoulders inclining upwardand forward toward the saine end of the rail, and the rail E, having arecess long at bottoni, and having its rear end inclined upward towardthe rail H and inclined to fit the end of the said tongue, thc sides ofthe recess of rail Ebeing inclined from the upper portion of rail Eforward and downward toward rail H, and iitting the inclination of saidshoulders, substantially as and i'or the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set iny band in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. MILLER.

XVitnesses:

SA. MILLER,

m ATHANIEL CALDWYELL.

